Delhi Development Authority (DDA) received total 7.5 lakh application form for its biggest housing scheme 2014, with 25,034 flats on offer. On last day of submitting the form on 15th October it received 1.3 lakh applications. The lottery results would be decided next month, as the housing authority has kept November 5, as the tentative date for the draw.

“We have received 7.5 lakh application for the scheme and we sold about 17 lakh brochures through our counters and various empanelled bank branches. The tentative date for the draw is still November 5,” the officials.

Though the number of people applied for the homes is high and very good, still compared to DDA’s last housing scheme applicants are low.

In the year 2010, DDA had launched its last scheme, in which about 16,000 flats were on offer and the number of applications that came was 7.4 lakh. In this scheme, while the number of flats is much more, the number of applications received is almost same as last time, 7.5 lakh. As per the calculation this year there are around 30 applicants for 1 flat, whereas, in last scheme there were around 46 applicants for 1 flat.

Earlier, DDA had extended the last date of submission of application form to 15th October from 1st October, on account of festival seasons which has caused disturbance in the process of the submission of forms. During that duration DDA had received only 92, 000 application forms, which was very much low. But, extending the last date of submission proved to be benefited for the authorities.

As per the DDA officials, the decrease in number of applicants might be due to the clause of a five year lock-in period introduced for the first time. As the clause, says that the buyer of flats wouldn’t be registered in the name of the allottee till five years from the date of possession. DDA has applied the clause to make sure the genuine home seekers purchase flats, who want to live in their allotted flats and do not purchase for investment purpose.